UFC 217 is shaping up to be quite the card and now Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal may be added to the event. Sources close to MMAWeekly.com have said that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is targeting a welterweight clash between Thompson and Masvidal. The bout is set to take place inside Madison Square Garden […]

UFC 217 is shaping up to be quite the card and now Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal may be added to the event. Sources close to MMAWeekly.com have said that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is targeting a welterweight clash between Thompson and Masvidal. The bout is set to take place inside Madison Square Garden […]

When Floyd Mayweather last stepped into a ring nearly two years ago to fight Andre Berto, he thought he was doing it for the last time.
This time, Mayweather says his impending retirement is for real.
“I gave my word to Al Haymon. I gave my word …

When Floyd Mayweather last stepped into a ring nearly two years ago to fight Andre Berto, he thought he was doing it for the last time.

This time, Mayweather says his impending retirement is for real.

“I gave my word to Al Haymon. I gave my word to my children. And one thing I don’t want to do is break that. … This will be my last fight,” Mayweather said Thursday at a media conference call for his Aug. 26 fight against ConorMcGregor.

Mayweather, who retired after earning a unanimous-decision win over Berto in September 2015, spent most of the conference call reflecting on a career that ranks among the greatest in boxing history. He would set an all-time record with 50 wins without a defeat should he beat McGregor, breaking a tie with Rocky Marciano.

“I don’t try to focus on other fighters, but I’m appreciative for every fighter that paved the way for me to be where I’m at,” Mayweather said. “Even though this is No. 50, this is my 50th fight, that’s not my focus. My focus is to give the fans an exciting fight. … Rocky Marciano is a legend. Rocky Marciano did it his way. I’d just like to it the Mayweather way.”

McGregor, the most famous face in mixed martial arts, is making his boxing debut after becoming the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold two championships. Some have wondered whether McGregor, in the prime of his career, is taking too big of a risk switching sports altogether in a match that could lower his star power.

Mayweather said he believes his decision to put his undefeated record on the line is more of a risk.

“I believe I’m taking the bigger risk, I have the 49-0 record,” Mayweather said. “When a fighter has lost before, if he loses again, they say it’s nothing he lost before. But when a boxer has been dominating for twentysome years, never lost, everything is on the line. My legacy, my boxing record, everything is on the line.”

Mayweather also doubled down on his comments acknowledging that he may have lost a step at age 40.

“I’m just being honest, I don’t think I’m the same Floyd Mayweather I was 21 years ago, of course not. I don’t think I’m the same Floyd Mayweather that I was 10 years ago. I’m not even the same Floyd Mayweather I was five or two years ago. But I said I still have a high IQ in that ring, and I said experience wise it leans towards me,” he said.

The fight will take place using eight-ounce gloves, rather than the standard 10-ounce gloves, thanks to a waiver granted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. McGregor typically fights using four-ounce gloves in UFC while boxing typically requires 10-ounce gloves for any weight class above 147 pounds.

Mayweather said that was put in place to avoid excuses on either side, saying, “I’m not really worried about the outcome, I’m worried about excitement. I understand he’s used to fighting in four-ounce gloves…I want to make him feel as comfortable as possible. I’m not going to have any excuses, and I don’t want him to have any excuses.”

As for his post-boxing career, Mayweather said he will focus on real estate ventures, his children and his Mayweather Productions business. He said he wants to leave a legacy behind for his children to take over the businesses and expand them once they graduate from college.

Lyoto Machida will take on Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 119, in October.

Following an 18-month USADA suspension for admitting to taking a banned substance, former UFC light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida now has an oficial date to step back into the Octagon. As Combate reported, Machida will take on Derek Brunson in the main event of the upcoming Sao Paulo card.

39-year-old Machida (22-7) will try and score his first win since Decemeber 2014, when TKO’d C.B. Dollaway in the first round. Afterwards, he suffered losses to contender Yoel Romero and former champion Luke Rockhold. Machida has been away since the Romero bout, which took place in June of 2015.

Derek Brunson (17-5) had a five-fight UFC winning streak halted when he suffered back-to-back losses to Robert Whittaker and Anderson Silva, but he got back on his feet on his last outing when he knocked out Dan Kelly in June.

Lyoto Machida is expected to take on Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 119, on October 28, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Lyoto Machida will take on Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 119, in October.

Following an 18-month USADA suspension for admitting to taking a banned substance, former UFC light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida now has an oficial date to step back into the Octagon. As Combate reported, Machida will take on Derek Brunson in the main event of the upcoming Sao Paulo card.

39-year-old Machida (22-7) will try and score his first win since Decemeber 2014, when TKO’d C.B. Dollaway in the first round. Afterwards, he suffered losses to contender Yoel Romero and former champion Luke Rockhold. Machida has been away since the Romero bout, which took place in June of 2015.

Derek Brunson (17-5) had a five-fight UFC winning streak halted when he suffered back-to-back losses to Robert Whittaker and Anderson Silva, but he got back on his feet on his last outing when he knocked out Dan Kelly in June.

Lyoto Machida is expected to take on Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 119, on October 28, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

It was recently announced that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) had agreed to make an exception regarding the size of the gloves that will be used in the highly anticipated Aug. 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. The two stars will fight at a weight of 154 pounds, which typically means […]

It was recently announced that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) had agreed to make an exception regarding the size of the gloves that will be used in the highly anticipated Aug. 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

The two stars will fight at a weight of 154 pounds, which typically means that 10 oz. gloves are used, but the commission agreed to allow 8 oz. gloves to be used after a request for change was made by “Money”.

Upon the announcement of the change, McGregor voiced his pleasure, even going as far to say that he will finish Mayweather in the first round.

UFC President Dana White is also confident that the Irishman will score a finish over the unbeaten Mayweather:

“Conor worked like a dog last night, he’s in great shape,” he said during a recent media conference call. “He’s hitting really hard right now and he’s in a very good place. I loved watching it last night and I feel good about this.”

“I’m on his side on this thing, I want him to win, I expect him to win, I expect him to knock Floyd Mayweather out.”

In regards to those who feel as if McGregor doesn’t have a chance against Mayweather, White simply doesn’t agree:

“Listen, people think that Conor is going to be completely outclassed,” he said. “Some people are saying that he’ll never hit Floyd once. I’ll tell you this, I just watched him work out last night, he looks phenomenal, he’s in great shape. He hits hard and now we’re fighting in 8oz. gloves and this is going to be a fight. And anything can happen in a fight.”

No matter the outcome, McGregor will certainly earn the biggest payday of his career, which is why many are skeptical as to whether or not he’ll return to the UFC after the bout. White admits that he’s unsure, but he did say that the Irishman has said that he’ll be fighting in the UFC again:

“Conor has told me he’s going to fight again this year, but I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “You can’t put these guys on the shelves all this time. We’ll see what happens with this fight, and that fight [Ferguson vs. Lee] is gonna move forward and we’ll see what’s next for Conor.”

How do you expect the fight between Mayweather and McGregor to play out?

Acumen.
Noun; the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain. Synonyms include astuteness, shrewdness, acuity and sharpness.
It’s a versatile word, used from business to academics to, you guessed it, athle…

Acumen.

Noun; the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain. Synonyms include astuteness, shrewdness, acuity and sharpness.

It’s a versatile word, used from business to academics to, you guessed it, athletics.

Athletics as in boxing.

For example, a mere week-and-a-half from one of the biggest athletic events in this generation, its use is in reference to the boxing acumen of ConorMcGregor, who will take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena. Its use is to acknowledge he is almost totally lacking in it on any meaningful level, and the world will soon see what that’s worth when he steps between the ropes.

Yet if you’ve followed McGregor up to this point, you’re probably comfortable suggesting he has everything else he needs to get the job done.

The lead-up to the fight has been rife with entirely factual, highly relevant points from McGregor, even amid his more problematic statements. Ever the salesman, he’s quick to point out the ways he’s a unique threat to Mayweather. One particular rant at a group of bystanders outside of Madison Square Garden earlier this year, angrier than many he’s indulged in since this circus came to town, was instructive:

“I’m the boxing guy, watch me take over boxing!” he bellowed to an onlooker, as Fight Hub TV captured (warning: link contains NSFW language). “No one in this boxing game knows what’s coming. Trust me on that. When I step in there, I’m going to shock the whole goddamned world.”

He continued, eyes increasingly wild: “Look me in the eyes! Twenty-eight years of age! Confident as a motherf–ker, long, rangy, dangerous with every hand!

If one looks past the idea of McGregor‘s limited boxing acumen for a moment, there is reason to think the Irishman has some things going for him. If there weren’t, nearly $100 on pay-per-view and God only knows how much to get in the building on fight night wouldn’t be possible.

Even though McGregor just turned 29 in July, he is over a decade younger than Mayweather. He is long and rangy in a way that few Mayweather opponents have been. He is confident and dangerous with each hand.

And that’s only one short clip of McGregor‘s ranting his way through New York while visions of dollar signs flash in his head.

He doesn’t touch on other elements of his game, like his sheer density for a 154-pounder, the unpredictability he’ll have on his side or his vaunted, almost admirable ability to believe in himself no matter the odds.

While McGregor acknowledges his own length and range, look at his only UFC fight at 155 pounds (UFC 205 last November) and see how bulky he is at that weight. Look at the size of his arms and back compared to those of Eddie Alvarez, the then-lightweight champion with 170-pound fights under his belt. Look at how easily and freely he moves that enormous frame around and how he lands punches from range, both off counters and when getting off first.

Against Mayweather, who has fought as low as 130 pounds and only rarely at 154 pounds in his career, that is a legitimate advantage.

Consider also his unpredictability in combat. Some of it is on display in the Alvarez fight, even though MMA lends itself to unpredictability more so than boxing.

McGregor‘s head coach, John Kavanagh, told The 42 in June 2017 after the Mayweather bout was announced:

“I believe we have a number of advantages going into this fight. Often, people who are experts in a certain field will tell you that it can actually be more awkward to deal with somebody who’s not from the same field. They’d rather deal with the top contender from their own discipline because he’ll move in a way that you assume he’ll move.

“Mayweather has been in the boxing world for his entire career, and everyone he’s faced has moved in a certain way that he’s preconditioned to handle. Now he’s going up against a guy who doesn’t follow any set patterns, who can deploy a variety of different styles of fighting and is not one bit intimidated. Conor is—as we all are here—100 percent confident in victory. That kind of person is very difficult to deal with.”

This is an astute observation from Kavanagh—one that will be confirmed by many professional athletes across many different sports if you ask.

It is far more challenging for a fighter to spar with individuals from different backgrounds in combat sports, which is why it’s such a popular means of preparation in MMA camps.

Other sports support the idea as well. Often at lower levels or coming up through amateur ranks, there are less elite players and thus more unpredictable or outright bad play, so it becomes more of a challenge to those who are elite and are thinking and acting on a much higher plane.

Poker may have been the most interesting analogy around the time internet players and traditional players converged for the first time. “Amateur” internet players began employing unorthodox, unpredictable strategies that more seasoned pros couldn’t account for after years of playing on “feel” alone. The result was great success for those players coming from cyberspace, a more general adjustment in strategies overall and an evolution of the game.

In boxing Mayweather, McGregor has the practiced and refined unpredictability of his natural fighting style working in his favor, but he also has the unpracticed and unrefined unpredictability of being so new to professional boxing.

It’s not a guaranteed pathway to success, but it’s something that will take Mayweather some time to unpack. That might be all the time McGregor needs to land one of those dangerous hands and start some trouble.

And then, of course, there’s the self-belief. Nobody in the history of sports—maybe in history, period—has ever believed in themselves the way McGregor believes in himself. Time and again he tells people he intends to do the impossible, and while it’s often met with a collective cluck of the tongue from doubters, he goes out and does it.

His UFC run was a freight train fueled by the momentum of his proclamations. His concurrent UFC titles were the station the train halted at for a breather. This whole scene against Mayweather is the culmination of every positive, self-believing thought.

Nobody ever got rich doubting McGregor, and McGregor has gotten rich believing in himself. If that track record doesn’t count for something, you’re doubting him at your own peril.

With camps winding down and the final promotional push ready to take the world into one of the biggest boxing matches it has ever seen, what does boxing acumen matter?

McGregor has plenty working for him, and he’s gotten this far with acumen as an afterthought.

As UFC President Dana White has been fond of saying in promoting this bout, “At the end of the day, it’s a fight.”

He’s right about that. Anything can happen in a fight.

If McGregor levels a boxing icon? There’ll be no room to challenge his boxing acumen anymore, either.